Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
Some of the best dinners come in bowl form and this Teriyaki chicken rice bowl is nothing short of perfection. The different flavours and textures will make you feel like you ordered it from your favourite healthy bowl restaurant. It has so many components from the savoury chicken to the crunchy vegetables, the tangy carrot salad, the crispy wontons and more- this bowl is seriously going to impress. The best part is it comes together pretty quickly and is excellent for an on-the- go meal prep that doesn't need to be heated.
Components of this rice bowl
Garlic Soy Chicken: This chicken is lightly seasoned with a blend of soy sauce, rice vinegar and garlic. The flavours of the chicken are intentionally subtle so that the sweet & savoury teriyaki sauce that will be poured on top can have its moment. Feel free to swap out chicken thighs for chicken breast or even salmon based on your need or preferences.
Teriyaki sauce: The star of this bowl- sweet, savoury and a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes- this sauce compliments the subtle flavours and textures in this bowl perfectly. This teriyaki sauce is made by combining soy sauce, chicken broth, white sugar, and rice vinegar. Garlic, red pepper flakes and white pepper are added to round up the flavours. The sauce simmers for a few minutes and starch slurry helps thicken it up.
Stir-fry veggies: Crunchy vegetables pair so well with a salty sweet teriyaki rice bowl. Feel free to use your favourite combination of veggies but for this bowl a simple mix of edamame and red pepper pair together perfectly. sprinkle the veg with some sesame seeds and black seeds to finish it off- don't skip the seeds, you'd be surprised how much flavour those tiny seeds add.
Carrot salad: Something cold and crunchy is a necessary accompaniment to warm and savoury teriyaki chicken rice bowl. a carrot is grated or julienne sliced and marinated briefly with garlic, salt, sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil. So simple, yet so good.
Fried wontons: One thing all my favourite healthy fast casual food restaurants have in common is the bowls always have some sort of crispy fried component. This makes sense since texture plays a huge role in our eating experience. Wonton sheets that are sliced into strips and fried till golden and crispy then lightly salted. When paired with the soft jasmine rice and tender chicken, this fried wontons is one of the key components that makes this bowl feel like restaurant quality.
Jasmine rice: Soft, fluffy and aromatic jasmine rice is the chosen vessel for all our bowl toppings to lay on. One note about jasmine rice is not all is created equal. My favourite brand of jasmine rice is purchased from a local asian grocery store and is produced in Thailand. You should be able to smell the fragrance of the rice through the plastic packaging- thats how you know if good stuff.
Kewpie mayo sauce: Most good bowls are finished with a drizzle of sauce. This one is insanely simple: just kewpie mayo diluted with a little water. Make sure to use kewpie mayo as the flavour differs substantially compared to regular mayo.
Storage & meal prep
When I made this for dinner I enjoyed most of the components warm with the exception of the carrot salad. The great thing about this recipe is that it tastes great as a cold/room temperature salad. I Would shred the chicken into smaller pieces and keep the crunchy topping in a little ziplock bag along with some kewpie mayo sauce in a small container and add those in when it's time to enjoy. No need for a microwave-truly a grab and go kind of meal prep lunch.
This Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl features tender, stir-fry chicken dressed in a sweet & savoury teriyaki sauce, served over fluffy jasmine rice. Paired with crunchy stir-fried bell peppers and edamame, a refreshing sesame carrot salad, and crispy fried wontons, it’s a perfect balance of flavors and textures in every bite and a perfectly balanced weeknight dinner.
- 1 lb. Chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 1 Garlic clove
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup Soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1 Garlic clove (large)
- 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp White pepper
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
- 2-3 tbsp Avocado oil
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 cup Edamame
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 Carrot (medium/large)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- Black Pepper (to taste)
- 3-4 cups Jasmine rice (steamed)
- 10 Wontons sheets
- Black & white sesame seeds
- Green onion
- Kewpie mayo
- Make Carrot salad by peeling the skin of a carrot. Grate the carrot or cut into julienne slices. Season with grated garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and black pepper.
- Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces and season with soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated garlic and black pepper. Let sit for 10-15 minutes while you prep the vegetables and sauce.
- Make teriyaki sauce by combining soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, white sugar, gated garlic, red pepper flakes and white pepper. Whisk to combine. In a separate small bowl combine cornstarch with cold water and stir well.
- Bring a small pot of water to boil, add in edamame and cook for 4-5 minutes until desired done-ness. Drain all excess water from edamame.
- Pour a good amount of oil into a wok and heat on medium. Slice small wonton wrappers into strips and fry in the hot oil for 1-2 minutes until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil and lightly salt.
- Drain excess oil from wok and place on high heat. Pour in avocado oil and stir-fry chopped bell pepper and edamame for 1-2 minutes or until desired doneness. Lightly season with salt.
- Stir fry chicken in the same wok on high-medium heat until chicken takes on colour. Transfer chicken to plate.
- In the same wok, pour in teriyaki sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes on medium heat making sure to scrape any excess flavour on the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the starch slurry into the teriyaki sauce. Allow to simmer for an additional minute or until sauce thickens slightly.
- Make a Kewpie mayo sauce by combining 1/2 cup kewpie mayo with 1-3 tbsp water and mix well to combine. Adjust water amount depending on the viscosity preferred for the sauce.
- Plate the garlic soy chicken, stir fried veggies, carrot salad, fried wontons and green onions over warm jasmine rice. Sprinkle white and black sesame seeds over the veggies and drizzle with kewpie mayo sauce all over to enjoy.